U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 21, 2003

Trip Kuehne

TRIP KUEHNE: First hole, I hit driver. I hit an 8-iron out to the left bunker. I hit a pretty good bunker shot. I thought it was a little down the hill to the left there. But it was so downhill hard left, I had a 10- or 15-footer. Probably 12 feet. And I ended up like six feet by and had to make that for a half on number 1 with a bogey.

The second hole I hit a good pitch shot. I got it down into the right rough. I hit a 9-iron to 18 feet. He pulled his iron shot way left -- I think it was way left there. He hit an unbelievable shot to eight feet. I didn't make it. He made birdie. So he was 1 -up.

Third hole, driver off the tee, pull hook to the left. I had 97 left, but I had some tree problems. I hit a shot with my sand wedge. I thought I hit a pretty good shot but it rolled all the way back over the green. I hit an incredible pitch shot to about probably five feet and made it for a half.

Fourth hole I actually creamed the drive. Actually hit it through the fairway. I tried to hit a 2-iron out of the rough which was probably not a smart idea because that's in the left rough there; I left it about 60 yards. He hit a drive. He hit 3-wood down to the front of the green. He hit a spectacular shot for the third shot about eight feet behind the hole. He 2-putted. Had it up there 18 inches for birdie. I thought I hit a pretty good putt. Just didn't read it right. I kind of lipped it out. So I lost that hole. I was two down.

Number 5, I hit a 2-iron to the middle of the fairway. I hit a pitching wedge long of the green. Got up-and-down out of the bunker. So that was that.

Number 6, he hit first. He hit it way right in the bunker. I hit an 8-iron to about eight feet. He putted way by and had about a 5- or 6-footer for bogey. I hit a little eight-foot putt. I laid up there and tapped it in and I was back to 1 -down-.

Number 7, I drove it right in the bunker. He drove it down the middle of the fairway. He hit it on the green about seven or eight feet away with an extremely difficult putt. I hit a 7-iron out of the bunker. Also had a very difficult putt. I putted way by. I putted about six feet past. I actually made that and then he made a 7-footer probably with about seven inches of break to win that hole. So I was back to 2-down.

Number 8, I was right in between clubs. I don't carry a 3-iron so it would be a 2-iron or a 4. Didn't think I could hit a 4-iron to the green. So I tried to knock down a 2-iron. I thought I hit a great shot. I just ended up -- I don't know how it ended where it did but it was just short of just in the first cut of rough. And he hit a 2-iron way left, left of the ditch over there and a pretty poor shot. He hit another good recovery shot to six or seven feet. I hit a decent chip; not a great chip. I actually lipped it out there. And he made his. So he was 3-up.

No. 9, I hit a good drive, down the middle of the fairway, had an 8-iron. I thought I hit it great. I guess my second shot on 9 it just plays a lot longer. I made a good 2-putt. I thought I made a 10-footer there for a four.

Number 10, I hit a 2-iron down the middle of the fairway. I had a 9-iron that landed about three feet from the cup, went over the green and I chipped it up to about three-and-a-half feet. He hit it way left off the tee, I had a difficult second shot he duffed his third shot. He rolled it up there on the front of the green and he made about a 25- or 30-footer with about four feet of break in it for a four on number 10. So we halved that hole.

No. 11, I hit a good 2-iron off the tee. A 9-iron to about 10 feet. I made it for birdie.

12, I creamed a drive down the middle of the fairway, I had 222 yards to the hole. Hit a 6-iron that went all the way to the back of the green. I hit an 8-iron bump-and-run to about two-and-a-half feet. He was also in the fairway, knocked it over the green, hit it about to 15 feet. He had about a 3- or 4-footer for par. So I'm back to 1 -down.

13, I hit a great 7-iron, landed right pin high just left of the hole, probably about a 10-footer. He hit a pretty poor 6-iron that hung up in the wind. It was right in the back part of the green. It was way left. I hit a very good putt but didn't make it. It was just a little short. That putt had a bunch of break. So I still was 1-up thinking I'm in decent shape. I would have to play hard but I would be okay.

14, hit a driver there all week. It's only 294 to carry the left bunker and I could get over that, no problem. And as long as I hit a good drive, maybe I could drive it on the green. If I miss it, I want to miss it left, left there where the pin was, so I can shoot all the way up the green. I pull-hooked my drive a little bit. Ended up in the green side bunker but had probably 30 yards of bunker shot there. I hit it right where I wanted to hit it. Had about a 15-footer up the hill, left-to-right. I didn't make my putt. He had about the same distance. He made his. So he was 2-up.

15, is my least favorite hole at Oakmont. It's a hard drive for me because the ditch is over there on the right. He drove it down the middle of the fairway. It was the only way

e could play it. He made a great play there. And I guess the group in front of us or whatever was, I don't know, the marshals had us stop. I was just in the process of getting ready to hit. So I had to go back and regroup. And I pulled the drive, hit the top of the trees, came down. And had a pretty poor lie in the rough. So I just tried to hack an 8-iron down there. I hit an 8-iron down there just short of the green or probably, I think I had 115 yards to the front. So it was 130 yards there. That was for a third shot. I knew I needed to be a little bit right of the pin. Where he put his second ball on top of that ledge. I figured he had a pretty hard 2-putt. He hit a great lag putt and I hit my putt 25 feet a little too hard, through the break. I made a bogey. He's 3-up with three to go and Trip's in deep trouble.

Number 16, good par-3. He hit a 2-iron way to the right. I hit probably the best 4-iron I hit in a long time. I hit it to about eight feet left of the hole. Pretty nasty putt though. He chipped up about just a little inside me. He missed his putt. I actually hit my putt a pretty good ways by. He hadn't missed a putt all day, so I figured I needed to make a 2.

He missed his putt, I made mine. So we're 2-down with two to go.

17, I tried to take it right at the TV tower, smoke it with a 3-wood. I did absolutely what I needed to do. The target I picked was just too far to the right. I ended up right in the rough there. I had a virtually impossible chip. So I knew I had to hole it. I tried to hit the perfect shot. I went under it a little bit. You know, to David's credit, after I hit 3-wood, it looked like I was in great shape, he stepped up there with his driver and knocked it right on the green.

The difference in the match was he had some holes where it looked like he was going to be in serious trouble. Like number 2, number 8, number 10. Ended up winning two of those three holes. I'm sure -- he didn't hit very many good shots. But on two of the holes where he did hit good shots, he ended up winning those holes. And that was the difference in the match.

Q. Did you know, when you were on the tee, where your drive was?

TRIP KUEHNE: No, I thought my ball was absolutely perfect. I thought I was in the fairway looking straight up the green with probably a 60- to 75-foot chip shot right up the slope with a little left-to-right break. I thought it was a no-problem birdie. And as we were walking up the fairway I thought I had a chip where I actually had a chip for eagle, even though he had knocked the ball on the green. He hit an incredible shot. I didn't think I was out of it. So I thought I would have had a shot that was going to be worth trying to make for me even under the worst circumstances. I would be playing first. I could hit a chip shot up there for a gimmie. I could put a little bit more pressure on him. He would have to make a great putt or make a 4- or 5-footer to end the match. Because the hardest part of the match is to make it to close somebody out.

Q. Have you played together before?

TRIP KUEHNE: No, sir. We played -- we were talking down the fourth fairway. He told me that we played together at the Western Amateur and he actually told me that his older brother -- I was his older brother's idol, because he had started playing golf and wanted to get back into amateur golf and be a working man also and get to play golf.

Q. 68, that's a hell of a round of golf on this golf course?

TRIP KUEHNE: Yeah, he played phenomenal golf, like I said. He didn't hit -- he drove the ball perfect. He hit a bunch of great iron shots and through seven holes he made three birdies. He birdied number 2, number 4 and number 7. And number 7, I think probably I was talking to Bob Ford, and that's probably the hardest hole in the golf tournament. He birdied that hole, and 14 and birdied 17. So he made five birdies. It's hard to beat somebody at Oakmont that's playing solidly that makes five birdies.

Through 63 holes at Oakmont I'm 2-under par. There's probably not anybody else in the field that's that. But that's the beauty of match play. And that's why I was so emotional when it's over with: This tournament, amateur golf to me means 10 times more to me than anybody here. And this is the best chance to date, including 1994, I thought that I had to win the U.S. Amateur.

I'm playing the best golf of my life on a golf course I played a million times -- not a million times; but I played 30 times. I got a caddy that's been here, been a member for 25 years. I had the support of the gallery . I had the support of the people of Pittsburgh. The media was in my corner. All the little kids are in my corner. I had every reason to feel good and I felt great here. And I never looked past this guy. I knew it was going to be a hard week. But I felt so good on the golf course. It's a perfect golf course for me. It's a ball-striker's golf course. I'm driving the ball so good. I'm putting better. Hitting my irons fantastic. I knew it was going to take a fantastic round to beat me. The guy just played a spectacular round.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TRIP KUEHNE: Well, like I had said, the hardest interview I had to do in my life was the final of the '94 U.S. Amateur, but back then that was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life. But like I said, the odds of me winning the USGA event to complete the Kuehne trilogy are probably astronomical.

Like I said, this was my chance. I really felt this was my chance. I put my heart and soul into golf for two years.

Q. You had a great summer. You've got to be very excited about going to the Walker Cup.

TRIP KUEHNE: You got to understand something, ever since I knew that the 2003 U.S. Amateur was going to be at Oakmont, I decided to dedicate myself to golf. Just to put myself into it. I don't know. I left it all out there. There's no doubt about it. This is the single most challenging, most difficult, most feared golf course I ever played in my entire life. Pebble Beach is more beautiful so it's always rated the No. 1 golf course in the country every year, but as far as a test, fair test of golf, if I would ever design a golf course it would be a lot like this one. I said it before, you get on the tee, there's not a single hole that you cannot make a bogey on. There is not a single hole that you cannot make a birdie on. Drive the ball in the fairway, hit a great iron shot, place the ball on the right spot on the green. You can make birdie.

David made five birdies today. And I made a few birdies. It's a fair golf course. You hit good shots, you get rewarded. If you hit bad shots, become impatient, you're going to get punished. Again, that's why I thought I would do well here. It's not a golf course where I have to go out there and make six or seven birdies. I thought if I drive the ball in the fairway, get the ball on the green, and just put a bunch of pars together and make somebody -- my game plan was to make whatever scores I needed to make. But my goal was to come out here and make somebody shoot under par to beat me on this golf course. I didn't think anybody could do it. I just happened to run into a guy today who did.

Q. (Inaudible.)

TRIP KUEHNE: I'm going to stick around today for this afternoon; there's no doubt about it. I'm going to go to the football game tonight with my host family. They have treated me so well. They have got tickets and they got tickets for me to go to the football game. So I'm going to go to the football game. I might watch a match Saturday, but probably not. These guys know that I'm pulling for them, but Friday morning I'm going to take the first plane out of here and I'll be at the office Friday afternoon. And Friday, I think there's a 6 o'clock in the morning flight, it a straight flight. I'm going to do that then I'll get home and probably go to the office about noon and I'll see who makes it to the semi-finals.

There's nothing I would do different. If I could go out there and there was only one person left and I thought that I could help him, but if it's a Walker Cup guy that plays here and loses, I don't know how I could help him. So how can I go watch them play. I would love to go watch them play, but I can't pull for one more than the other. So, if I would be watching a match, I would watch those guys. I would just kind of see what's going on. But as far as anything else goes, I won't be around.

Q. You said you dedicated yourself over the last two years; can you elaborate on that?

TRIP KUEHNE: I'm going to try. Like I said, I dedicated myself to this tournament for two years, getting ready to play here. We leave for the Walker Cup on the 29th. So that's my next major goal is to get my game in shape. My game is in perfect shape. I'm playing very good. I need to get over there and get ready and make plans to bring the Walker Cup back.

There's nothing more I can do for the U.S. Amateur. My heart and soul was left on the back nine at Oakmont. Seriously, it was a reality check two times. Yesterday's match and today's match. On the back nine there. And to play the way I played, I think I was three or four or 5-under par. I think I was 4-under par on the back nine at Oakmont the last two days. And that's pretty good golf. And I gave it my all. I gave it 110 percent. That's the way it is.

Q. We have lost the last three Walker Cups now; is this team good enough to win it back?

TRIP KUEHNE: I believe so. We picked the -- there's two people that are still left to be picked. We got three guys, I think? Three Walker Cuppers left of the 16. We got guys that are playing great. We'll have to look at who makes it to the final eight.

But we'll have a good team. It's a young team. The thing that everybody is talking about is how young our team is. But the thing about these guys is they all, most of them, have played Palmer Cup. They played some international competitions before. But if you go look, all these guys have won all the major amateur championships there are so these guys are amateur golf winners and I think we're going to do just fine.

We had a couple practices. We're getting used to the alternate-shot format. Every one of these guys wants to be part of it. And I made a point to emphasize for the last year how important the Walker Cup is.

One of the things I said yesterday, is you get more people, more amateur golfers talking about making the Walker Cup or trying to be a part of bringing the Walker Cup back, than winning the U.S. Amateur. And I don't really know why that is, but it means something. They have won six times and they have won three of the last four. So obviously now it's a competition in every match. I think they feel it too. So if we get over there and adjust to the conditions and not let the pressure of the moment get to us early, don't let them jump on us in the alternate-shot matches, the first four matches, I think we stand a great chance to win.

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